Editorial: U.S. should increase efforts to feed starving Afghans

As the Taliban flees northern Afghanistan and the harsh winter begins to set in, the time is right for President Bush to once again show the world his compassionate side.

The United States needs to take full advantage of this opportunity and intensify its humanitarian relief efforts.

It must make every effort to feed the starving people of Afghanistan.

By doing so, our country would convey to the world - as it did in early October by coinciding military airstrikes with food air drops - that this is indeed a war against terrorism and those countries that harbor such murderers and not a conflict against Muslims or Afghan civilians.

Now that the Taliban has abandoned the north, the corridor linking supplies in Uzbekistan and other points north to famished Afghans has been opened.

On Monday, Bush addressed the situation.

"This good nation is doing everything we can to move enormous amounts of food into the areas where people are likely to starve," the president said.

"I'm talking about thousands of metric tons of food," he added. "There are over 2,000 trucks now in place that are able to move more freely now that the Northern Alliance and our military have liberated the northern part of Afghanistan, where the starvation is most likely to occur."

Muslims the world over are upset that the U.S. military has continued bombing Afghanistan during Islam's holy month of Ramadan.

Bush's decision to step up humanitarian aid should be well received for two reasons.

Not only is the administration showing compassion for the starving Afghans and possibly averting a disaster of unspeakable proportions, but it is trying to lessen the anger felt by Muslims.

Because regardless of what the naysayers contend, our Muslim allies are going to be needed to defeat terrorism.